TET is not mandatory for teachers of minority institutions: Madras HC

Maitree Baral

Sep 6, 2016 10:10 IST

Chennai: Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) will not be an essential requirement in the qualification of aspirants who wish to apply for minority institutions, either aided or unaided. The Madras High Court has made it clear that TET won’t be applicable to minority institutions.

A Division Bench of Justices Huluvadi G. Ramesh and M.V. Muralidharan has referred to Article 30 and said that there should not be any discrimination among all the teachers working in minority and non-minority schools. HC further made it clear that RTE Act (Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education) was not applicable to minority institutions.

In addition to this, TET will not be imposed on all the teachers who have joined the service before 15 November 2011. The Bench has directed to release the pending salary along with arrears within two months.

"The state can impose reasonable regulations on minority institutions for protecting the larger interest of the state and the nation, but it should not destroy the minority character of the institutions. It is also not in dispute that the management of the minority schools should be given freedom in the appointments of teachers and there should not be any external controlling agency. The procedure for selection of teachers should be evolved by the management itself," the bench said.

This move has brought relief to thousands of school teachers who had been asked to clear the TET to continue the service.